I’m not here to be a Yasiel Puig hot take machine. The baseball season is 4 games old. And all four of those games have been against the Padres. I want to have some context.

Expectations were not super high for Yasiel this season. I got him in the final round of my fantasy baseball draft and there was talk of platooning him with lefties in the Dodgers outfield.

But he’s been good in the first four games to the tune of three home runs, including two today off Jared Weaver. He’s talked more about elevating the baseball, and it’s paying off. At least so far. 

Yasiel Puig has been excellent in the early-season for the 3-1 Dodgers. By Owen Main

With Andre Ethier out, the Dodgers could really use a Puig hot streak. Dodger fans have never really seen Puig go on an extended run of playing excellent. Puig has never hit more than the 19 homers (in 109 games) he hit in his first season. Injuries, mentality, and ability to get along with teammates have all be factors. 

But maybe Puig can have some kind of break-out year. His age (26) suggests he might just be entering his prime. His approach on lifting the ball suggests he might be starting to really listening to what the organization is telling him. And his results, so far, have been good. 

However you feel about Yasiel, you can’t argue with the dominant start. If this is a guy at the middle/bottom of the Dodgers’ order providing something like 30 homers this year, then Dave Roberts’ lineup starts to look and feel quite a bit more dangerous. Let’s see how the long months of summer shake out. 

Are you optimistic about Puig yet?

The baseball season’s coming up and Mike Krukow thinks Yasiel Puig is dumb for not pegging the Giants as their biggest rival. In San Luis Obispo, I’d say they are, though the two teams have not met in the playoffs since the Wild Card round started.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve been going position by position and comparing what personnel the two teams have in preparation for the 2015 season. Let’s finish up the defense with right field.

The “question” about right field in the Dodgers-Giants position-by-position comparison was already pretty simple. Then Hunter Pence got himself injured and now the issue is even more of a slam dunk in the Dodgers’ favor. Here’s how things break-down for both teams.

Gregor Blanco/Hunter Pence

Blanco, a utility outfielder who does everything decently except hit for power. In his age-30 season in 2014, Blanco played 146 games and managed 29 extra-base hits. His OPB/SLG/OPS line was .333/.374/.707 as Blanco won his second World Series title in San Francisco.

The outlook for Blanco is probably not as valuable in right field as it might be in center, where his defense can be utilized. He will definitely be spelling Angel Pagan there, but with Pence on the shelf for the near future, Blanco is the guy for now.

In Pence, who was hit by a pitch and broke his arm early in spring training, the Giants lose probably their biggest returning offensive threat not named Buster. Pence hasn’t missed a game in either of the past two seasons and batted .277 with 20 home runs and 74 RBIs in 2014. He will be back, but who knows how the broken arm will especially affect his power.

The Giants needed Pence at full-speed to be close to potent offensively this year. They’ll get by with pitching and defense for a while, but the Pence’s pop in the middle of the lineup will be missed early-on.

Can Yasiel Puig have an even better season in 2015? By Owen Main

Yasiel Puig

Much has been said about Yasiel Puig over the past few seasons. He had a ridiculous run in just over 100 games in 2013 and followed it up last season with a stellar year. His energy is something this team has fed off of and, as other players (Matt Kemp, Hanley Ramirez, etc…) have departed, this team looks more and more like Puig’s to take — if he’s ready for that leadership role.

Whether he’s ready to be that clubhouse leader, he’s been leading the team on the field for two seasons (during which time he’s put up about 10 wins above replacement) and figures to be the Dodgers’ best field player again this year.

When Puig gets a rest or is put in center field (neither will happen very often) the Dodgers have options still. Andre Ethier can play right field. So could Scott Van Slyke in a pinch. If he wasn’t manning center field, Joc Pederson could also be a guy in right, though Puig figures to play 150-plus games there if everything goes right this year.

While this team is much more diverse than years past, Puig is the centerpiece of the push this year. Dodger fans would like to think they can sustain any kind of injury or poor play from any of their roster, but Puig, along with Clayton Kershaw, is a player the Dodgers cannot afford to have perform at anything other than top gear.

This is my opportunity to once again say how dumb Puig’s benching was in last year’s playoffs. He was their best player, even if he was striking out a ton. Dumb Dumb Dumb. Now that I have that off my chest, let’s move on.

While Puig would have already been ahead of Pence, the Dodgers’ right-fielder is light-years ahead of a Pence/Blanco combination. Puig’s ceiling could see him in the thick of the MVP race. I can’t say that about many players.

Advantage: Dodgers. Resoundingly.

MMMMmmmm. Puig home runs. Against the Giants.

It’s baseball season, you guys!

Yes, it’s still spring. But with Mike Krukow’s comments from earlier in the year and the level that the Dodgers are counting on their young Cuban outfielder, isn’t it nice to see Puig take one out against the Orange and Black? The bat-flip (or lack thereof) was still in spring training form. Maybe by next week, it’ll be a little saucier.

I really enjoyed Yasiel Puig’s honesty with the media last week. He feels like his rivalry is with the Cardinals greater right now than the one with the Giants. Based on the past two seasons, he’s not wrong. I’ve said before — I also believe the Dodgers would have beaten the Giants last season.

Then this week, Mike Krukow opened his mouth with disapproval. A tsk tsk for Puig. Maybe the entire National League West is made up of old men who love grit and hate fun.

Krukow’s comments are everything that bugs the hell out of Dodger fans, and I’m sure he knows that. It was probably part of his motivation. What he said also has to annoy anyone who wants baseball to be exciting. I would totally rip Krukow more than this, but he’s a Cal Poly guy. Krukow’s Klubhouse is legendary for SLO baseball fans, and so I’m really conflicted.

Actually, I’d love to have Krukow on the Fansmanship podcast sometime. He seems like a really engaging guy who is proud of his ties to the Central Coast. I always heard great things about him growing up from people around baseball. Come to think of it, most of those people were probably Giants fans… . But I digress.

I don’t really know what else to say except that it’s almost March. And time will tell whether the Dodgers’ young Cuban phenom will be battling the Cardinals, Giants, pundits like Krukow, or just himself.

Whoever he’s battling, if he has another year like last year, I’ll be feeling pretty good about it as a fan, whether or not he’s a baseball savant in the eyes of some old-school baseball people.

I read a post the other day about some Yasiel Puig comments regarding the Cardinals. They made for interesting off-season reading. Yesterday, Dylan Hernandez had an article in the LA Times based on the same set of quotes. Here’s the link.

I find a few things interesting.

First, Puig is going to be a little bigger this year. He’s 255 or 260 right now according to him, and that’s a red flag. I’m sure he’ll lose some of it, but once you get huge, it’s really hard to come back. Miguel Cabrera is proof of that. Of course, if Puig hits like Cabrera, nobody will be complaining… .

Puig’s comments about the Cardinals make sense. All he knows in his short career is making the playoffs and losing to the Cardinals. His thought that they are the Dodgers’ main stumbling block is one I actually share. Had the Dodgers faced the Giants in the playoffs last season, I would have been way more confident than I was with them going against the Cardinals. Something about the matchup, the fact that both teams have beat each other in recent postseason history, and the way the playoffs are now structured make the Dodgers and Cardinals a kind of rivalry that the Dodgers and Giants just hasn’t been of late.

Here’s my favorite quote from Hernandez’ article:

“Puig had a particularly hard time against the Cardinals in the National League division series. Limited to three hits in 12 at-bats over the first three games, Puig started Game 4 on the bench. The Dodgers lost that game to end their season.”

The decision to sit Yasiel last season when he was “limited” to three hits in three games was a sneaky big one by manager Don Mattingly. I thought at the time, and I still believe, that it was insane to sit your best player in the biggest game. Puig took it like a champ — he hasn’t complained publicly or made waves — but that has to be the last time something like that can happen.

Perhaps the Cardinals were in Puig’s head, and Mattingly knew it. Perhaps they still are in his head. The only way to get them out of his head, though, is to let him play his way through it. Sitting him was the wrong move. But I digress.

I’m telling myself that this will be a really great year for Puig. He’s a year older, he’s actually saying all the right things right now (talking about playing disciplined defense even!), and his comfort level with being in the United States and in Los Angeles have to be at an all-time high.

Dodger fans should be optimistic that Yasiel Puig will continue his splendid play this year and they should cautious of others, including the team’s manager, trying to play-out the same old narratives about a player who can be expected to be right in the middle of his prime.

I just caught this article on the LA Times’ year in review for Yasiel Puig.

The tagline says “Yasiel Puig needs to step up the maturity level with the Dodgers depending on him in his third season.”

I disagree.

What makes Puig so valuable is the daily energy he has the ability to bring to the team. His enthusiasm is contagious. It’s a reason to turn on the television (for those who can) and watch the team play.

He’s a year older this season. Since he’s a professional, I’m going to assume his interest lies in getting better. I do expect him to make smarter plays. I expect him to make better decisions on the bases. I guess I also expect him to hit the cutoff man more often.

But maturity isn’t something you can force on someone — especially a professional athlete. He will either mature, or he won’t — some athletes never do.

I think the Dodgers can live with him still being somewhat immature. What they cannot live with is a big drop in energy and enthusiasm.

When given the choice between some missed cutoff men and a disengaged right fielder, I say throw it into the stands.

I’ve been three times. Once in Vero Beach in 2004. Then again in Arizona in 2012 and 2013. Guys weekends are really fun, and covering the Dodgers is something I’ve always liked to do. I had the time. I had the money. The website benefited. There was no downside.

That was before the kid.

It’s a lame cliche — couples with kids lose their independence. Their money. Their lives. My kid was born in August of 2013, but March of that year was the last time I used preseason baseball as a great excuse to have a great time.

Along with Yasiel Puig, Hyun-jin Ryu was also an exciting rookie in the spring of 2013. By Owen Main

That spring, Yasiel Puig hit .517. Luis Cruz had more homers that Spring and the same number of RBI’s as Puig. “Cochito” looked like he was going to stick around at third base for the boys in blue. In the end, it was Puig who stuck around (Cruz is now in Japan), but the brief Cruz firework was what Spring training is kind of all about — hope and excitement about the upcoming season.

The baseball is, of course, only part of making the Spring Arizona pilgrimage. The going out, the restaurants, and having fun with buddies is a huge part of it, too. I won’t detail in this post the debauchery that I’ve witnessed in two trips to .

Two moments stick out to me about previous trips, though, that really make me want to go back.

The first happened in my first trip to Dodgertown in Florida. I made the trip across the state from where I lived to Vero Beach. I arrived nice and early at 8:30 AM. I was behind the ropes when the low minors guys came out to warm up. I watched them stretch as I heard their foul early-morning wind being broken. As the actual game was about to get under way on the main field at Holman Stadium, I walked my way over. As I neared the stadium I looked more closely at the gentleman who was walking next to me.

Spend enough time around Dodgers spring training, and you’ll be sure to see legends like Rick Monday or Tommy Lasorda (left). By Owen Main

It was Rick Monday.

I briefly talked to him about being a Dodger fan on the East coast. He mentioned that MLB.com was broadcasting the radio feeds in what was an early iteration of MLB.tv. That kind of access was “imagined” for Camelback Ranch — and it gets close — but there really was nothing like Dodgertown in Florida.

The second thing that makes me want to go back is, randomly, Jerry Hairston.

I was a lowly web blogger looking to hunt down a pretty standard-faire preview story for the 2013 Dodgers. While other players weren’t as friendly, Hairston’s demeanor and friendly attitude was a port in the unfamiliar ocean of the Dodgers’ clubhouse. He answered all of my questions, was engaged with what I was asking him, and had relevant things to say.

I know he’s an analyst for the team’s station now, and missing what he has to say is one of the reasons I get so ticked that I can’t get the Dodgers on television in San Luis Obispo, even with an MLB.TV subscription.

After Hairston, both A.J. Ellis and Mark Ellis were very professional and (dare I say?) friendly as well — something major leaguers don’t always have to be, especially when I’m sure my questions were the worst.

All that said, whatever insight I gained from watching the club for the better part of 4 games in March was useful throughout the remainder of the season. With so many questions about the upcoming season, I’m sure I could suck a little less at interviewing some players.

So, the fact that I’m going to write something about the team every day this year could be a good reason to go to Arizona once again.

Dodgers Spring training begins March 4 against the White Sox at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona. 

With all the recent excitement in the Dodgers front office, people may have forgotten the actual players. Going into the 2014 offseason after what was a very disappointing postseason run for the Dodgers, it seems as if they may not look the same come March. Hanley Ramirez seems a lock to not re-sign and the outfield situation needs to be finally solved. Josh Beckett is retiring and the bullpen needs to get rid of almost everyone. The Dodgers need to have a good off-season in order to reposition themselves as the class of the National League.

New president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman has a large task ahead of him with the Dodgers. By Andrew_Friedman_and_Joe_Maddon.jpeg: Jennifer Huber derivative work: Delaywaves talk (Andrew_Friedman_and_Joe_Maddon.jpeg) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

With Beckett gone, starting pitching should also be looked at. The Dodgers have Clayton Kershaw, Zach Greinke, and Hyun-jin Ryu as their front three starters, but the back end of the rotation is the key to winning championships. Like Brian Wilson, Dan Haren will return to the club after picking up his player option. Haren gives them a nice fourth or fifth starter, but they need another.

There are a many options the Dodgers can choose from but I suggest the idea of signing a fourth starter rather than a fifth. Some interesting names are available that include Ervin Santana, Hiroki Kuroda, and Jake Peavy. The Dodgers’ spending habits lately would indicate at least a mild interest in players Jon Lester or Max Scherzer, though new management might not be as excited at the idea of another huge contract.

Finally, the Dodgers need to solve their outfield situation and upgrade a few positions. The Dodgers have too many outfielders and need to do something about it. Who gets the boot?

Andre Ethier, Carl Crawford, Matt Kemp, or Yasiel Puig? Puig is basically untouchable, as he should be. Kemp should be as well after his resurgence last season, which leaves Ethier or Crawford. They both have terrible contracts, which will make it tricky to trade them. Trading Ethier seems the most likely to happen. A team like the Detroit Tigers may be interested, especially with uncertainty surrounding Torii Hunter.

Upgrading at the catcher position would vastly improve the team. AJ Ellis commands the plate as well as any catcher in the league but his hitting isn’t what the Dodgers need to get them over the hump. The only clear option to replacing Ellis for the Dodgers is with Russell Martin. Martin would bring some extra power as well as his control of the plate to the Dodgers, a team he spent a large chunk of his career with.

With Hanley Ramirez half way out the door, the shortstop position is open while they wait for prospect Corey Seager to grow. Some intriguing options in the free agent market, but making a trade with the White Sox for shortstop Alexi Ramirez makes sense. Maybe an Ethier, prospect and money for Ramirez trade would work?

It is essential that the Dodgers have a good and productive offseason in order to repeat as NL West champions and hopefully mirror their Northern California rivals and hoist a World Series trophy for the first time since 1988.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have not made a World Series since 1988. With their loss this week, they won’t have a spot in the fall classic in 2014. A team with the highest payroll in baseball in one of the best baseball cities in America shouldn’t be eliminated from the playoffs as early as the division series. The Dodgers squad is made up of different types of talent that honestly don’t really work together to create a complete team. This season, their raw talent led them to the division title, and fans and experts alike looked past their obvious shortcomings.

Ned Colletti’s job could be in jeopardy after the team’s clear holes weren’t addressed. By PVSBond, via Wikimedia Commons

It has been two seasons since both trades went down and what do the Dodgers have to show for it? Two division titles and two playoff beat-downs at the hands of the St Louis Cardinals, who have are arguably become the San Antonio Spurs of Major League Baseball.

While the regular season winning is nice, when you spend that much money on a team it is championship or bust. So the question remains who is to blame for the Dodgers disappointments and what do they do about it?

Clayton Kershaw had a historic season. The Dodgers’ ace went 21-3 with a 1.77 ERA, but his postseason demons struck again against a familiar opponent. He is now 3-7 with a 4.83 ERA against the St. Louis Cardinals and 70-22 with a 1.99 ERA against everyone else. Kershaw cruised through six innings in game one, only having allowed two runs before squandering a four run lead and giving up eight runs in the 7^th inning. While Kershaw deserves some of the blame, Mattingly also deserves some for not pulling out his star pitcher once the Cardinals had closed to 6-4. I don’t care who the pitcher is or how much you trust them, once they start giving up runs and putting the game in jeopardy you take them out especially in the 7^th inning of a home playoff game. Mattingly in his Dodger career has made a lot of blunder-headed mistakes but none like this playoff series.

His first mistake was with Kershaw in Game One. Then, in game three he took Hyun Jin Ryu out after the 6^th inning when he was pitching a masterful game on the road. After the game, Ryu came out and said that he felt fine to pitch the 7^th inning. Instead of bringing in a relief pitcher that has carried the team all season like Brandon League, he brings in Scott Elbert who promptly gives up a two run home run that sealed the Dodgers game-three fate.

In Game Four, with Kershaw pitching on three days rest, the Dodgers jumped out to a 2-0 lead and Mattingly left Kershaw in for the 7^th against the heart of the Cardinals order, which lead to a three-run home run and the end of the Dodgers’ season.

All signs point to Don Mattingly and all-star pitcher Clayton Kershaw taking the majority of the blame. While they both made mistakes, they shouldn’t get all of fans’ ire. Mattingly made some dumb decisions, but in the end he isn’t the one who goes out onto the field and plays. The big hitters the Dodgers have didn’t produce and the bullpen, which was the weakest link of the Dodgers team all season, struck again.

The person who deserves the most blame for the Dodgers’ disappointments has to be general manager Ned Colletti. There have been rumors swirling that there might be changes in the Dodgers front office and I hope they are true. At the trade deadline, Colletti had opportunities to pursue bullpen help that might have saved the Dodgers season. Instead, Colletti went out and got back-end pitchers Roberto Hernandez and Kevin Correia neither of whom made the postseason roster.

While Colletti has built teams that made the postseason, he continues to disregard the team’s biggest needs and it ends up costing them late in the season. The Dodgers could use a new General Manager in their system and maybe then they will finally reach the World Series. The Padres and Diamondbacks have already changed their GMs so the Dodgers should continue the trend in the NL West.

Leave no doubt, this team needs some fixing. In order for this team to be fixed it is going to take major work. Much of the team is locked in for years to come in their respective deals. One solution would be to upgrade on a few positions including third base and catcher. Juan Uribe and AJ Ellis have been good clubhouse guys but their production on the field has been less than expected and more consistent production is needed from those positions. For me, the most important factor of the 2015 offseason will be getting bullpen help. Kenley Jansen is the only bullpen guy the Dodgers could rely on this season and even he has some issues.

Adrian Gonzalez, Matt Kemp, Yasiel Puig, Carl Crawford, Dee Gordon, Clayton Kershaw, Zach Greinke, Hyun Jin Ryu and Kenley Jansen should be the main players returning to the team next season due to their success. Trading Andre Ethier and re- signing Justin Turner should be priorities going into the offseason. This coming offseason is going to be a tough one on both the Dodgers front office and the players but this team will be back again next season and should again be favorites to win a championship. In the mean time, the front office needs to make some changes in both player personnel and front office personnel, because the Dodgers have the core talent to win a title but proving it out on the field is a whole different story.

Sometimes Twitter- and podcast-contributor, Jesse Pereira, was had an interesting take on the baseball games of Friday night. I asked him to write a post about it, and he did so on Friday night. You can find Jesse’s Twitter account (@mind_butter) here. 

Yasiel Puig’s bat-flipping will set the stage for the tongue-lashing Brandon Belt is sure to get from fans and fellow players, right?. By Owen Main

The Nationals-Giants game was a treat, with all the crucial elements that make postseason baseball, particularly postseason baseball in 2014 — so exciting. Great pitching, clutch late inning heroics, extra inning, and a game winning home run. Brandon Belt not only hit a moonshot into the stands, but dropped a bat flip for the ages.

Tomorrow morning we will surely have to read all the articles decrying Belt’s obvious lack of respect for the game. We’ve been through this before, and the media doesn’t like the bat flip. Just ask Yasiel Puig.

Puig is arguably the most accomplished bat-flipper in Major League Baseball today. This skill has certainly attracted considerable attention from players and spectators alike. Belt will get an earful tonight, from the likes of Madison Bumgarner – a noted critic of Puig’s flipping talent.

Baseball has unwritten rules, and young players like Belt and Puig need to learn respect or be taught it with high heat, benching, whatever it takes to get the lesson across.